My Philosophy of Composition/Education

My philosophy is very fluid at the moment, and I am sure that it will change dramatically in a short span of time.  For this post I am going to focus on the ideals that I have seen to be true, what I have learned through class discussion, and what I predict will be true when I apply my teaching philosophy. When it comes to teaching composition there are three basic things that I believe:

1.      People write the best when they thoroughly understand the topic

2.      People want to explore topics that are relevant to their lives and experiences

3.      When people are asked to express what they care about, they will take time and do it properly. 

It has become apparent to me, while grading, that students write best about topics they understand. Therefore, if the main focus is teaching them to write clearly, it seems reasonable to start with writing about things they know: themselves, their interests, and their experiences.  In high school they are asked to study literature, and most of them do not read the books they are analyzing. They are asked to recount the events of history, and other complex topics.  While it is important for them to analyze literature and learn history, the topics can overshadow the writing.  Their own style and ability to construct a sentence will come easier if they do not also have to grapple with a topic they know little about.  After their writing skills are mature, then they can start working with more complicated subjects and the different types of writing.  If they fully understand their own writing process, it will be easier for them to identify the choices another writer makes.  Furthermore, this will demonstrate to them the importance of understanding the topics they are asked to write about.  I think that much of the weak writing we see stems from the students failing to comprehend the subject matter.  When they are asked to work with more difficult texts, they must realize that they can only write about them well if they understand them thoroughly.

Next, there can be no denying that when a topic is interesting or relevant, the learners will engage with the subject.  We had an interesting discussion in class about how achievable relevant topics are on a daily basis.  From this discussion I concluded that every lesson is in fact relevant, but maybe not in the way we would hope.  If we know that a day’s topic is particularly dry, I think it is important to discuss that with the students; they are adults now, and with that comes responsibility and having do things they do not want to do.  Whether every class is enthralling or not, the students are responsible for learning the information if they want to succeed.  Being able to work through the uninteresting aspects of a class or job and still be engaged enough to succeed is an important skill.  Obviously, it would be better if every class was intriguing, but there will be slow days and the students need to learn how to work with those days.  Also, we cannot fully comprehend how our lessons will be relevant to every single person every day. I think a useful exercise would be to start asking the students how the material is relevant to them. This will give them responsibility and control over what they get out of the class, and will get them involved on the days when the lesson is dry or the class seems disinterested.

Finally, students will engage in what they are passionate about.  If they are given topics that they care about they will take the time and do them properly.  As a teacher, I can provide new information and lead discussion, but I cannot direct what they care about.  Students want to express themselves, and it is the teacher’s job to show them how.  They will want to write clearly and thoroughly if they are writing about something they are passionate about.  If we can help them realize that the skills we are teaching them in 1301 will help them express their views in the real world, they will want to learn.